How can I remove the blank page after section break?

Anonymous
2010-09-01T15:46:18+00:00

Don't want blank page between different sections in draft document ("next page" section breaks). Tried hiding and tried changing paragraph symbol font size to 1. Still getting blank page. UGH!

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Stefan Blom 353K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
2010-09-01T18:04:14+00:00

Under certain circumstances, the section break, or actually the blank paragraph containing the section break, may cause an extra page (this might happen below a table, for example). Formatting it as 1 pt font size, exact line spacing 1 pt, zero spacing before/after should fix it. You may also want to format it as hidden text. In fact, you can create a paragraph style with those characteristics and apply it to the empty paragraph in question.

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Anonymous
2012-08-18T08:09:57+00:00

Don't want blank page between different sections in draft document ("next page" section breaks). Tried hiding and tried changing paragraph symbol font size to 1. Still getting blank page. UGH!

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Stefan Blom 353K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
2010-12-31T18:46:25+00:00

The workaround you have found is documented in the article at http://word.mvps.org/faqs/formatting/WorkWithSections.htm.

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  1. Anonymous
    2010-12-31T17:35:37+00:00

    This is marked answered, but I had a similar problem:

    The end of my template has an odd section break. If the last page of text was odd, then Word added two pages (or sometimes just one odd page) to the doc. I couldn't delete the odd section break and retain page formatting, even if I put a section break continuous on the last odd page with text--Word would just change the continuous section break to an odd section break, and I had the same issue (2 blank pages).

    I looked here first, and found this clumsy workaround. Then I rechecked Word Help and found this:

    "Delete a blank page

    Make sure that you're in Draft view (Draft view: A view that shows text formatting and a simplified page layout. Draft view is convenient for most editing and formatting tasks.) (on the View menu in the status bar, click Draft). If nonprinting characters, such as paragraph markers (¶), are not visible, onHome, in the Paragraph group, click Show/Hide.

    • To delete a blank page, select the page break at the end of the page, and then press DELETE."

    This worked!

    In Draft View, I inserted the continuous section break at the end of the last marker on the text page, and then deleted the odd section break, and voila! It worked. Word didn't change the continuous section break to odd, even in Print View, and the two empty pages were deleted and page formatting retained.

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  2. Anonymous
    2010-09-01T17:30:28+00:00

    If you are using Odd/Even pages, Word will always start a new section on the right hand (odd) page which is convention.

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